Obituary

Press, 19 October 1987, Page 11

Obituary

Mr A. G. Robertson

A former Canterbury rugby and athletics representative, Mr Arthur Geoffrey Robertson, died in Nelson recently. He was 64. He was educated for four years at Boys’ High School, and after working with “The Press” spent much of his working life in the secretarial and accounting fields. He was involved in community activities, including sports administration. An excellent sprinter and hurdler, Mr Robertson equalled a New Zealand junior hurdles record in the national junior athletic championships at Wanganui in 1941, only to see the time beaten in a later heat. He was a foundation member and an officer of the Crichton Cobbers’ Ath-

letic Club, subsequently reconstituted as Toe H, when it was formed in 1943. Mr Robertson served in the Army and the Navy during World War 11. He played in the New Zealand Combined Services rugby team, which established an enviable reputation in Britain and on the Continent during and after the war. For several years he was active in community groups at Collingwood, where he was secretaryaccountant to the local dairy company. Some of his service there included the R.S.A., the fire brigade, coaching rugby, and the Takaka Lions Club. Mr Robertson’s involvement in rugby administration continued until his final illness. He served

the Nelson Rugby Club as secretary for several years, treasurer and club captain. He had been a management committee member and treasurer of the Nelson-Bays Rugby Union. He was a past president, committee member and secretary of the Nelson Buccaneers, who function on similar lines to the Cantabrians in Canterbury rugby. Before transferring from Christchurch, Mr Robertson was assistant secretary of the Christchurch R.S.A., of which he was a life member. When the Totalisator Agency Board was set up he was one of the first agents appointed in Christchurch, running the Riccarton agency. He is survived by his wife and three sons.